Two Worlds II - Review Roundup #2

Another small roundup of Two Worlds II reviews and impressions, almost all on console.

OnPause has a short article that doesn't really provide much insight, despite the score of 8.5/10 (I'm amused the author notes he used a guide):

Two Worlds II has a plethora of features, items, and an almost endless environment to explore. One play through will surely never be enough. Once you have mastered the controls and layout, the game becomes a breeze and the content is more expansive than ever before. So, prepare yourself for one incredible ride. And that may be horse, or even by boat.

Tech Gaming goes into more detail on the nuts and bolts but, again, has little comment on the content. Score: 85%:

Inevitably, Two Worlds II is going to evoke the memory of its lackluster predecessor- which is a shame, because the sequel conscientiously corrects almost all of the first game's failings. Ideally, the title should be judged for its inspiring accomplishments- giving players what will be one of the most replete games experiences they'll likely encounter this generation. Despite a few hitches, only the most fastidious fantasy fans won't be mesmerized by Two World II's captivating spell.

Over to Co-Optimus, who focus on the multiplayer experience. Score: 3/5.

The co-op in Two Worlds 2 consists of seven mini quests that branch the story between the first game and the second - for the most part gameplay is identical to the single player but with the added strategy and chaos that comes from introducing seven other players into your game. I love seeing the variety of characters online: the game allows you to choose the race, sex, and general class of your character - it’s easy to differentiate people while playing online.

Teamwork seems essential, as these online chapters are quite difficult; and its nice to have a good balance of player classes. It appears as though the game scales the number of enemies depending on the number of players - which is a good thing. You can also easily split up across any area on the map, as there’s no tethering. Players share XP from kills, and it seems the host player sets the difficulty for the map, which makes it easy to power level your friends.

The game starts, as an ancient law written by an idiot states all contemporary RPGs must, in a series of rocky tunnels. A prison, specifically, but that’s just an excuse for rocky tunnels. The plot continues on from whatever the hell happened in TW1, with you playing the brother of a girl possessed by some spooky evil and held captive by some growly bloke whose face you can’t see. It takes approximately eight seconds to realise that narrative is unlikely to be TW2′s strong point, but that’s OK: bar some shonky subtitle grammar, it’s not dreadful, it’s not insulting, it’s just banally there.

Following a brief spot of playing with the character creator (there’s a decent range of face-tweaking options, and it’s possible to create someone breathtakingly ugly if you so choose), you’re broken out of the slimy-rocked slammer by a group of orcs and a surly/sassy/sarly masked lady with comically impractical armour and pointy ears.